Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Increases Aug. 1

Connecticut’s hourly minimum wage increases to $13 Aug. 1, 2021, the third stage in a series of five planned increases.

The $1 increase over the current $12 an hour reflects legislation Gov. Ned Lamont signed in 2019 that eventually raises the state’s minimum wage to $15.

The legislation increases the hourly wage by almost 50% in four years. The minimum wage was increased to $10.10 in 2017 with the 2019 law then mandating increases as follows:

• Oct. 1, 2019: $11
• Sept. 1, 2020: $12
• Aug. 1, 2021: $13
• July 1, 2022: $14
• June 1, 2023: $15

Indexed

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, the state’s minimum wage will be indexed to the employment cost index, as calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Any increases after Jan. 1, 2024 will be tied to the employment cost index, a quarterly metric created by the U.S. Department of Labor that details changes in labor costs across the country.

Connecticut’s law retains a $6.38 minimum wage for tipped workers, including restaurant waiters, and a $8.23 minimum for bartenders.

It also includes a 90-day, $10.10 hourly training wage for 16- and 17-year-old employees.

The federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 an hour.